camaysar222 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

And... how about a thumbs-up for 19-year-old Chopin. Astonishing depth for a teenager - I guess puppy-love brought out his best!

camaysar222 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Love this performance! Hofmann's genius lies in how he lets the music speak for itself, and gets to the heart of the matter with directness, direction, and complete mastery. No need for extraneous "emotion"... it's all in the music as he presents it.

snaaptaker (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Check out the brand-new CD (not the older one) of the concertos. Ward Marston has just remastered (or whatever) them from Hofmann's own private acetates.The difference in the sound is remarkable,esp. #2.

smithsherman (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Unusual hearing "Floral Hoffman".Ornaments are rapturous.I don't like the sober way he handles the peaks around 4:00.The phrasing 2 straightlaced & the sound too pitiless.Normally when listening to him solo,his remarkable tone pulls me through,but here the orchestral arranging is poor,he gets buried somehow,& doesn't have the luminescence to dig his way out.